B. Off-The-Wall Sources
SUMMARY:
- Depending on the type of paper you’re writing, you may want to include information from an interview or company financial documents.
LINKS:
Books and journals are excellent sources, but variety is the spice of live. Consider mixing it up by including some non-traditional sources in your research paper:
Interviews
– Interviews take time to set up, but they are excellent sources. When you interview someone, you can get answers to your questions directly, as opposed to finding the answers manually by researching. Interviewing someone also has the advantage of hearing current information directly from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.
When interviewing, it’s important to contact a legitimate source. College professors, teachers, and company executives can be great resources (depending on the type of paper you are writing). Keep in mind that these individuals are very busy. You’ll want to contact them with a polite request. We’ve provided a template in the “Links” section of this page for you to use. Be confident and polite when requesting. Most college professors and professionals will be flattered that you are interested in what they have to say.
Company financial documents
– Public companies are required to make their financial data publicly available. If your research paper is business-related, you may want to consider analyzing these documents.
Information about publicly traded companies is available through:
